How does the automated room finder work?

You describe what you need in plain English: budget, city, neighborhood vibe, move-in date, must-haves. Flat Spain then automatically searches the major Spanish property portals at once, reads each listing, verifies availability, applies the Flat Spain 16-Point Scam Screen, adds the Flat Spain Neighborhood Score for each barrio, and delivers a ranked shortlist with photos, maps and agent contacts, usually within minutes.

What does the €49 search include?

One full Flat Spain search: up to 12 platform queries, 25 listings analyzed, the Flat Spain 16-Point Scam Screen applied to every listing, the Flat Spain Rent Benchmark and Flat Spain Neighborhood Score for each barrio, and a ranked top-5 report with pre-filled WhatsApp messages for each agent. Usually delivered within minutes (guaranteed within 24 hours).

Which platforms do you search?

The major Spanish property portals, plus the expat-focused rental platforms that welcome relocating tenants, covering whole flats, furnished mid-term lets, studios and rooms in shared flats. We only ever collect data from sources that permit it, and the exact set is chosen per search, so a brief for a room and a brief for a purchase do not go to the same places.

How do you detect rental scams?

Every listing goes through the Flat Spain 16-Point Scam Screen, a 16-point check covering prices far below the barrio average, landlords 'currently abroad', deposit requests before viewing, Wise or crypto payment demands, missing exact addresses, and misused temporada contracts. Listings that fail a critical check are removed from your shortlist before you ever see them.

Can I rent in Spain without a NIE?

Yes, many landlords accept a passport for signing, though you'll need a NIE for utilities and long-term registration. Tell Flat Spain your visa status in your brief and we'll prioritize foreigner-friendly listings and agents used to working with expats.

How fast will I get my shortlist?

Most searches finish in 5–15 minutes, because our agents work in parallel across platforms, and you can watch live progress on your order dashboard. If a search needs extra verification we guarantee delivery within 24 hours.

What if you can't find good apartments for my brief?

If your criteria return too few verified listings, Flat Spain tells you honestly and gives you one free re-run. You say what to change (different barrios, another budget, other must-haves) and the re-run searches again, skipping everything you have already been shown. If you're still not satisfied, contact support and a human will review your order.

What is the concierge service?

A human in Spain takes over after your report: WhatsApp outreach to agents in natural Spanish, viewings scheduled within 72 hours, negotiated terms and a rental contract review. Two tiers: Remote (€499) with live video-call viewings, ideal before you land, or Full (€900) with a local attending each viewing in person on your behalf.

Payment is processed by Stripe and only captured when your report is delivered. Until then the €49 is an authorization hold on your card.

Do you work with landlords or agencies?

No. Flat Spain is paid only by you, so the ranking is unbiased and no landlord, agency or new development can buy a higher position.

Is an automated apartment finder better than searching the portals yourself?

For expats relocating from abroad, usually yes. A traditional portal hands you thousands of unranked listings to filter alone; Flat Spain searches several platforms at once, applies the Flat Spain 16-Point Scam Screen to every listing, adds the Flat Spain Rent Benchmark and Flat Spain Neighborhood Score for context, and returns a shortlist ranked against your exact brief, minutes of reading instead of hours of scrolling.

How much does it cost to rent an apartment in Spain?

The Flat Spain Rent Benchmark for 2026 puts a furnished one-bedroom from about €650/month in Granada to €1,250 in Barcelona, with Madrid near €1,200 and Valencia around €1,050. A room in a shared flat averages €450–€600 in the big cities. Central expat barrios cost more; outer districts are cheaper.

How much does it cost to buy property in Spain?

The 2026 national average is about €2,300/m², so roughly €180,000–€210,000 for a 90 m² apartment. Madrid runs near €4,300/m² and Granada near €2,000/m². Budget an extra 10–13% of the price for purchase taxes and fees.

Can I use this to buy a property, not just rent?

Yes. Flat Spain searches the sale market the same way it searches rentals: it scans the major Spanish property portals for sale listings that match your budget and must-haves, screens each one with the Flat Spain 16-Point Scam Screen, and benchmarks the asking price against the barrio's €/m² sale average. Tell us you're looking to buy in your brief and we return a ranked, scam-screened sale shortlist instead of rentals.

Which Spanish cities do you cover?

Every major Spanish city, including Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Sevilla, Málaga, Bilbao, Alicante, Palma and Granada, plus smaller towns. If a city has rental listings Flat Spain can search it: cities we don't yet keep warm in inventory are searched live on demand for your order.

Golden Visa closure

3 April 2025

Date Spain stopped accepting Golden Visa applications

In force since: 3 April 2025
Last verified: 14 August 2026
Re-checked every: 180 days

Source

Ley Orgánica 1/2025

Repealed the investor-residency route with effect from 3 April 2025.

Quick answer

Flat Spain dates the end of Spain's Golden Visa to 3 April 2025, when LO 1/2025 closed the programme to new applications. Buying property in Spain no longer grants residency. Pages still describing the €500,000 property route as available — and several major relocation sites still do — are more than a year out of date.

No new applications, on any investment route. The property route is the one people ask about, and it is closed. If a site is still presenting a €500,000 purchase as a path to residency, treat everything else on that page as equally unmaintained.

Permits already granted were not cancelled. Holders keep their status and renew under the terms that applied when the permit was issued. If you hold one, the question to ask a lawyer is about your renewal, not about the closure.

Buying property and living in Spain are now separate problems. Purchase is unrestricted for foreigners; it simply carries no immigration consequence. If you want to live here, the route is a visa you qualify for on income — the Digital Nomad or Non-Lucrative Visa — and the property decision comes after.

Still published elsewhere, and wrong

If you found a different number, it is probably one of these.

"Invest €500,000 in property for Spanish residency": Correct until 2 April 2025. Still published as current by several relocation and immigration sites in 2026.

Read the buying guide

Open

Change log

14 August 2026
Verified. Page published to correct still-live 'programme active' pages.

Frequently asked questions

Can I still get Spanish residency by buying property?

No. The investor-residency route closed on 3 April 2025 under LO 1/2025. Foreigners can still buy property freely; the purchase simply has no effect on residency.

What happens to Golden Visas already issued?

They remain valid. Existing holders keep their status and renew under the rules that applied when the permit was granted.

The numbers are the easy part

Getting a flat is the hard one. Describe what you need in plain English and Flat Spain searches five platforms at once, puts every listing through the Flat Spain 16-Point Scam Screen, and comes back with a ranked shortlist.

Start my search

Flat Spain re-checks this figure every 180 days and publishes the date of every change above. It is information, not legal advice — for a decision that turns on your own circumstances, take Spanish legal advice.

Golden Visa closure

Still published elsewhere, and wrong

Change log

Frequently asked questions

The numbers are the easy part

Related figures